August 14, 2006

School Bond Campaign Kickoff Event Tonight

The kickoff for the campaign to fund the school facilities bond will be held tonight, Monday, August 14, 2006, at Zocalo Coffeehouse from 6:00 to 8:00pm. Deborah Cox and Leroy Smith will be leading the campaign.

The school facilities bond will provide $109 million in funding to reduce overcrowding at San Leandro High School by building a Freshman Campus across the street. It will also fund construction of a performing arts center with a 450-seat theater, purchase of the PG&E lot at SLHS, SLHS Library Expansion, purchase of a parking lot at Bancroft and Callan, and landscaping in front of the new arts center. The bond will also fund modernization, including ADA, Fire Life Safety, replacing roofs, installing package heating, replacing restrooms, painting, data networking improvements for three schools, voice over internet protocol installation, lighting modifications and improvements, and industrial arts building improvements.

The board and the district hope to take advantage of matching funds from a state facilities bond scheduled to be on the November ballot. In 1997, the school district was able to obtain $34 million in matching state funds after a $54 million bond measure was approved. Projects from the 1997 bond were completed on budget and six years ahead of schedule.

The school facilities bond will appear on the November 7, 2006, ballot.

Zocalo Coffeehouse is located at 645 Bancroft Avenue, near the intersection of Dutton and Bancroft.